May 1, 2013

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Posted by Brian Manzullo

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

New Lions punter Sam Martin.

Many Detroit Lions fans were taken aback when their team picked up punter Sam Martin out of Appalachian State in the fifth round of last week’s NFL draft.

A punter? Really? In the fifth round?

Okay, so Martin was drafted a bit further ahead than future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady was in the 2000 draft. But NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. still named him among late draftees who should make an early impact for their teams (rounds 4-7).

“A punter?! Well, yeah,” Kiper said. “The Lions averaged a pretty sad 36.9 net yards per punt last year, good for third to last in the NFL, which is really bad when you consider they play eight home games in a dome. No other dome team was lower than 16th (St. Louis). A good punter will add a lot of field-position yardage over the course of the season.”

Martin averaged 45.9 yards per punt as a senior with Appalachian State. The Lions also have punter Blake Clingan, who they signed earlier this off-season, on their roster.

On Tuesday, Kiper also said the Lions’ second-round and third-round picks (cornerback Darius Slay and guard Larry Warford) will make an early impact, as they are expected to see significant playing time from the get-go.

Contact Brian Manzullo at bmanzullo@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BrianManzullo.